PAT T E R N N O .

1 O F T H E V I N TA G E C O L L E C T I O N

swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

11” wide
7” tall
5” deep

Bag made by Erin Morris

donna
vintage handbag

When printing, do not select “Fit to Printable Area” or enlarge/shrink in any way.
Always print at “Actual Size” or 100%.
www.swoonpatterns.com • Feel free to sell your bags made with this pattern. Copyright 2015 Swoon Sewing Patterns
Instructions & Pattern Donna Vintage Handbag
Materials Needed:
• 2/3 yard 44” wide exterior fabric, quilting weight
• 1 yard 44” wide lining fabric, quilting weight
swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

• 2 1/2 yards 4/32” cotton cording (or premade piping)

• 1/2 yard 58” wide foam interfacing (Soft & Stable, or 1 yard Pellon FF77)
• 1 1/2 yards fusible woven interfacing (Pellon Shape-flex SF101)
• 14” handbag zipper (Main Compartment)
• 6” all-purpose zipper (Zippered Pocket)
• Four 3/4” rectangle rings or 1” o-rings Exterior Lining Wrong Side
• Coordinating thread
• Fabric glue (Beacon Fabri-tac)
Where to stitch
1) PREPPING
Cut out all of the pieces of the pattern. Trace all of your pieces on the wrong side of the exterior and
lining fabric and cut out. Make sure you cut on the fold of your fabric where marked. Repeat to cut
woven interfacing and foam interfacing.

Additionally, measure and cut:

• Handles, 3” x 28”, Cut 1 Exterior, Cut 1 Woven Interfacing
• Handle Connectors, 3” x 12”, Cut 1 Exterior, Cut 1 Woven Interfacing

Fuse woven interfacing to the wrong side of the exterior and lining Slip Pocket panels. Fuse woven
interfacing to all lining pieces except for the Zippered Pocket Panel and Zipper Tabs. Fuse woven
interfacing to Handle and Handle Connector panels. Pin foam interfacing to all exterior pieces except
Top Panels, Handle and Handle Connector and machine baste (sew with a long stitch) around each
raw edge at 1/4” seam allowance.

For the exterior Top Panels, we need to glue baste the foam interfacing in place so we can’t see any
basting stitches later. Match the long curved edge of the foam interfacing with the long curved edge
of an exterior Top Panel, leaving a 1” gap along the straight long edge of the Top Panel (this will
minimize the amount of foam in the zipper seam). Glue in place using a thin line of fabric glue along
each edge of the foam.

Foam Interfacing

Top Panel

Tip: Alternatively, you can use Pellon Wonder-Under 805 to make the foam interfacing fusible and the
machine basting won’t be needed.

Repeat to glue baste foam interfacing to the remaining exterior Top Panel.

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2) MAKING PIPING (Skip if using premade piping)
With your yard stick across the bias on the wrong side of your Lining Fabric, mark several strips,
each being a little wider than the width of the yard stick (around 1.5”). Cut 2 1/2 yards of bias strips.

Bias Strips

Sew the ends of the strips together by overlapping two strips right sides together at a 90 degree
angle, and then sewing from top left corner of the overlap to the bottom right corner (then trim seam
allowances). Repeat until you have one long strip of bias tape.

Press this in half lengthwise to create a fold. Tuck the 4/32” cotton cording
inside the fold and pin to secure at one end. Using your machine’s zipper
foot, machine baste lengthwise along the cotton cording pretty tightly. We
want to encase the cording, we will be sewing another line of stitching to
get the piping tighter later on and this stitching will be hidden. Set piping
aside for now.

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3) ZIPPERED POCKET
Fold a lining Main Panel in half, wrong sides together, matching raw edges and press to make a
vertical center crease. Open and mark a horizontal line 2” down from the top edge of the Main Panel
that extends 3” past both sides of the crease. Mark a 6” line that is exactly 1/2” below this, that is
parallel to the first line, then connect the ends to make a 6” x 1/2” box.

2”

3”

Now on the RIGHT side of the Main Panel, pin a short edge of the Zippered Pocket Panel over the
rectangle you just drew, right side down (the Main Panel and Zippered Panel will be right sides
together). The edges of the Zippered Pocket Panel should go past the rectangle box by about 1” on
the top, left and right sides. Note that the marked box is on the wrong side of the Main Panel, so just
fold the top of the Main Panel down to check the placement.

Pocket Panel
right side down

Flip over so you are looking at the wrong side of the Main Panel, and with a short stitch length, sew
right along the rectangle you marked. Inside the stitched rectangle, mark the (black solid) lines
shown below (a center line, stopping 1/2” from ends, then to corners), then cut along the lines. Be
careful not to clip your stitching in the corners.

1/2” 1/2”

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Pull the Zippered Pocket Panel through the hole you just cut and press well. Pin the 6” zipper on the
wrong side, face down and centered horizontally and vertically over the hole. Edge stitch the entire
way around the zipper to attach.

Fold the loose bottom short edge of the Zippered Pocket Panel up to meet the short edge above the
zipper, the right sides should be together. Sew around the 3 open raw edges of the folded Zippered
Pocket Panel at 1/2” seam allowance to enclose and create the “pocket”, folding the Main Panel out
of the way so you don’t sew through it.

Fold

4) MAIN ZIPPER
Pin both exterior Top Panels right sides together, matching all edges. Stitch 1” down the straight
long edge with a 1” seam allowance right along, but not through, the foam interfacing, backstitch
and stitch again. Set your machine to a long stitch setting and continue, machine basting along the
same edge. Stop 1” away from the end and set to your normal stitch length. Finish the remaining
1”, backstitch and stitch again.

1” Stitch Machine Baste 1” Stitch

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With the wrong side of the Top Panels up, press the Seam
seam allowance open. Pin the 14” zipper “face allowance
pressed open
down” centered over the seam. (Alternatively, you can
use fabric glue to baste the zipper in place, two thin lines
on each side of the seam.) Flip over so the Top Panels
are right side up. Using a zipper foot, sew down each
side of the zipper, about 1/4” away from the seam.

When the zipper is sewn along both edges, use a seam

ripper to remove the machine basting over the zipper
teeth, leaving the two 1” ends stitched.

Repeat the first paragraph of Step 4 only to sew the

lining Top Panels together. Then press the seam open,
remove the machine basting (not the 1” of stitching at the Wrong
ends) and set aside. side

Zipper
face down

5) EXTERIOR POCKET
Pin piping along the top “U” of the exterior Slip Pocket panel, onto the right side, matching the
raw edges of the piping with the raw edges of the Slip Pocket panel. Machine baste the piping to
the Slip Pocket panel right over the existing stitching in the piping.

Raw edges matching

5
Pin the lining Slip Pocket panel overtop the piping (sandwiching the piping in between two Pocket
panels) right sides together, matching all raw edges with the exterior Slip Pocket panel. Flip so the
wrong side of the exterior Slip Pocket is up and sew 1/8” inside the stitching you made to baste the
piping. When you are finished, clip into the seam allowance 3/8”, just up to but not through the
stitching about 3 times inside each of the two curves. Flip right sides out and press. With the exterior
side up, topstitch right under the piping along the top “U” edge to finish.

Pin the finished Slip Pocket, lining side down to one of the exterior Main Panels, matching the sides
and bottom raw edges. Machine baste the Slip Pocket panel onto an exterior Main Panel at 1/4”
seam allowance, starting at one end of the piping and ending at the other end.

exterior Main Panel

Slip Pocket

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6) ATTACH PIPING
Start in the middle of the bottom straight edge of one exterior Main Panel (fold in half to find the
center), pin the piping around the outside, matching the raw edges (Make sure that the existing
stitching in the piping is 1/2” from the raw edges whether you are using premade or
handmade piping - this is more important than matching the raw edges). The cording of the
piping should be on the inside. Leave about 1” of each piping end hanging off the bottom as shown.
Using a zipper foot, machine baste around the edge, directly over the existing basting you added
when you made the piping (or the stitching in the premade piping).

Trim off the excess piping ends. Repeat Step 6 to baste piping to the remaining exterior Main Panel.

7) HANDLES
Fold the Handle panel in half matching long edges, wrong sides together
and press. Open and fold each long raw edge into the fold mark in the
center and press.

Fold in half again and press. All long raw edges should be hidden within
the Handle now, and the Handle should be 3/4” wide.

Edge stitch down each long edge of Handle about 1/8” away from the
finished edge. Fold the Handle in half matching the two raw ends and cut
to make two 14” long Handles.

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Repeat Step 7 to fold and edge stitch the Handle Connector panel, which should end up 3/4” wide
and 12” long. Then, fold the Handle Connector panel in half matching the raw ends and cut in half,
then cut those two pieces in half again. You should then have 4 Handle Connectors that are 3/4” wide
and 3” long.

Repeat again to fold and edge stitch the two Zipper Tabs, they should be 1/2” wide and 2.5” long
(These do not get cut in half).

Fold the Handle Connectors in half, matching the raw ends and press. Fold the Zipper Tabs in half,
matching the raw ends and press. Slide the 3/4” hardware (rectangle or o-ring) onto a Handle
Connector, right into the fold, and stitch across the Connector as close as you can to the hardware
to secure.

Repeat with the remaining 3 Connectors. Set all aside for now.

8) ASSEMBLE GUSSET
Just like you did with the exterior Main Panels, pin a strip
(matching in length) of piping along a short raw edge of the
exterior Bottom Panel, matching the raw edges. Machine
baste the piping to the Bottom Panel, along the cording and
directly over the existing piping stitching.

Repeat with other short end of the exterior Bottom Panel.

Trim the excess piping ends and set aside.

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Center a folded Zipper Tab over the zipper seam of the exterior Top Panels as shown below,
matching raw edges, then machine baste at 1/4” seam allowance. Repeat with the other short end of
the Top Panel and the remaining Zipper Tab.

Pin the exterior Bottom Panel and assembled exterior Top Panels right sides together, matching two
short raw edges (a Zipper Tab will be sandwiched in between). Stitch along the short edge 1/8” inside
(closer to the cording) the basting seam you made when attaching the piping.

Bottom Panel and Top Panels

right sides together

Press the entire seam allowance towards the Bottom Panel and topstitch 1/4” away from the seam
through the seam allowance. This will add strength to the seam. Repeat with other short ends of
exterior Top/Bottom Panels. You should now have one assembled gusset.

Repeat to attach the lining Bottom Panel to the lining Top Panels, skipping the piping (sew at a 5/8”
seam allowance).

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 Press to
mark top center
Matching the side seams of the exterior gusset
together (top/bottom panels), press right sides together
to make a center crease in the exterior Bottom Panel,
and the exterior Top Panels.

Repeat to make top and bottom center creases in the

lining gusset as well. Match
side seams
Press an exterior Main Panel in half, right sides
together and matching all raw edges and press to
make a vertical center crease. Repeat with the one
remaining exterior Main Panel and both lining Main
Panels.

Press to mark
bottom center

9) ASSEMBLY
Pin a Handle Connector (with hardware) 2 1/4” to the left of the center crease (to the right side of an)
exterior Main Panel, then pin another Connector 2 1/4” to the right of the center crease, matching the
raw end of the Connectors to the raw top edge of the Main Panel. Machine baste the Connectors to the
Main Panel at 1/4” seam allowance.

Center

2 1/4” 2 1/4”

Repeat with remaining two Connectors and remaining exterior Main Panel.

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Matching the “center” creases first, pin an exterior Main Panel to the Exterior Top/Bottom Gusset,
right sides together. Start at the top center mark and pin every inch or so until you reach the bottom
center. Start at the top center mark again and repeat to pin the other side of the Main Panel. Ease any
fabric slack into the bottom corners. You may clip into the rounded corners of the Main Panels to make
them easier to pin.

With the wrong side of the exterior Main Panel facing up, stitch around all raw edges about 1/8” away
from the existing stitching (you added this when basting the piping to the Main Panel) to attach the
Top/Bottom Gusset to one exterior Main Panel. Take care to get close to the piping. We cannot
actually see the piping, as it is sandwiched between the Gusset and Main Panel. But we can see the
stitching we added before, so sewing slightly inside that stitching line should be perfect.

Make sure the main zipper is halfway unzipped and repeat with other exterior Main Panel to attach it to
the other side of the Gusset. Trim all seam allowances down to about 1/4” when finished then turn right
side out.

Repeat the last two paragraphs to sew the lining Main Panels to the the lining Gusset, except use a
5/8” seam allowance.

You can optionally add a 10 x 4.5” rectangular piece of stabilizer (Peltex 71F or 70) to the bottom of the
bag exterior (wrong side) for extra support. Simply center it in the bottom and fuse (or use fabric glue if
using sew-in).

10) ATTACH THE LINING

Place the lining, wrong side out, inside the exterior, right side out. Pin carefully along the zipper to pin
the lining and exterior together, matching the folds of the lining opening with the folds of the exterior
exactly. The one side of the zipper teeth, exterior folds, and lining folds should all be aligned. Use your
sewing machine to stitch (with a long stitch length) right over the existing exterior zipper stitching to
secure the lining, going as far along as your machine will let you. If you cannot reach the ends of the
Top Panels, you may hand sew to close up any holes in the lining.

Lastly, fold a raw end of one of the Handles under about 1/2”, then fold again 3/4” and press. Slide the
hardware of a Connector (attached to the bag) into the fold and sew across the Handle 1/4” from the
fold on the underside of the Handle to secure. Repeat to sew the other end of the same Handle to the
other Connector on the same side of the bag, making sure the Handle isn’t twisted.

Repeat to attach the remaining Handle to the other side of the bag.

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 swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

Bottom Panel
Cut 1 Exterior
Cut 1 Lining
Cut 1 Interfacing
Cut 1 Foam Interfacing

donna
handbag
FOLD
 swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

FOLD

Slip Pocket
Cut 1 Exterior
Cut 1 Lining
Cut 2 Interfacing

donna
handbag
 swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

Main Panel

FOLD
Cut 2 Exterior
Cut 2 Lining
Cut 2 Interfacing
Cut 2 Foam Interfacing

donna
handbag
 donna
handbag

swoon
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

Top Panel
swoon Cut 2 Exterior
Cut 2 Lining
S E W I N G PAT T E R N S

Cut 2 Interfacing
Zipper Tabs
Cut 2 Exterior Fold under 1” at dashed
line and cut:
Cut size: 2” x 2.5”
2 Foam Interfacing

donna
handbag

2”
This is a test square to
ensure the pattern printed
FOLD

at the correct size.

 S E W I N G PAT T E R N S
swoon

Zippered Pocket
Cut 1 Lining

Cut size: 8” x 12”

donna
handbag
FOLD